Lost Sanctuary
by Evantis
Summary: When a flamboyant young man meets a broken slave boy. [KradDark]
1. Chapter 1: A World of Strangers

Hello, everyone! I'm sorry about all my late updates and all for my other stories – but I'll try my best to update them!

Anyway, to _this_ story! It's my very first DNAngel fic, so don't blame me if it's crappy! Also, I haven't really seen the _entire_ thing, because it's a little hard to get them in England. I'm just waiting for my faithful friends in Japan to share the kindness of their souls by lending it to me! So please point out if several of my preferences are wrong. This is set in AU, but there still might be mistakes.

First of all, I want to say this: **FLAMES WILL BE IGNORED.**

If there's anything I hate, it's flames. If you don't like the story, then don't READ it! And on top of that, don't REVIEW! Or more precisely, don't FLAME! Advice is okay, but flaming is way out of league. It's not my story is going beyond the rules of or anything. I always write within the rating frame of this website, thank you. (But that's only because I suck with explicit scenes)

Okay, away from all that discouraging stuff! This story is about Krad and Dark, mainly. I've gotten the inspiration for this story from various other fics, though I didn't really copy their ideas or anything, trust me! Each idea for this story is original, though the 'slave' part of it is gotten from the storyline of other fics. That's just about the only thing I copied and admit it. Xb

This story is about Krad, a rich, flamboyant young man and his slave, Dark. The idea for this story is that Krad is actually a very confident person who spites slaves because they won't stop letting themselves being pushed around like trash. But in this AU, slave trade is common and legalized. When Emiko buys a (ahem) slave for Krad(you may have some idea but if you're not clear on what _kind_ of slave, read the chapter. I, like mentioned above, suck at explicit scenes _and_ words – cannot bring myself to type them), Krad is forced to look after the slave-boy. At first, Krad treats the boy with a distant and cold indifference, and doesn't feel pity for his new slave. But eventually, he does realize it's not his slave's fault, and they start a strong, but fragile relationship.

--

A World of Strangers

---

He whimpered as Master tightened the ropes on his wrists.

"Don't you try anything," Master growled. "Or you'll regret it, boy."

He nodded ever so slightly, whimpering again as the ropes cut deeply into his raw wrists. Master gave them a rough yank and snarled, causing the small boy to let out a pleading whine.

"Who ever said you could make any sounds?" Master snapped, pulling hard on the ropes again. The small boy let out a soft, barely audible cry. He was afraid Master would get angry at him again. He kept his head low, his shoulders were trembling slightly.

Master let go of the ropes and tightened the leash attached to the heavy metal choker around his neck.

"Tomorrow," Master smirked. "Tomorrow you'll have a new master."

The small child shuddered at the thought.

---

"KRAD!!"

22-year-old Hikari Krad twitched with annoyance as the hyperactive red-haired kid barged into his study room.

"…what…?" Krad growled out.

"Mom says we're going to get a new slave!" the annoying boy paraded around the room.

"I know that, Daisuke," Krad grumbled, sorting through the many papers on his table. "Can you tell Emiko that I don't feel like going? I have lots of work left to do, and there's no time for me to accompany the lot of you to get a new slave…besides, you know I don't support that thing…"

"Oh, come _on_, Krad!" Daisuke said, slapping the palms of his hands on the table. "It's not like we're cruel masters or anything! Look at Towa-chan! She doesn't think like that about us, right?"

"The people at the slave fair today are simply a bunch of low-class, greedy bastards," Krad said indifferently. "I have no intent on following you to buy a replica of Towa."

"Towa-_chan_, Krad," Daisuke correctly. "You know she prefers us to call her that. And if the people at the slave fair are really 'low-class, greedy bastards', wouldn't we be doing the slaves a good deed by buying one of them?"

"One out of the millions out there is barely significant," Krad said calmly. "No, Daisuke. I am _not_ going anywhere. My work is much more important than supporting something as inhuman as a slave fair. Daisuke, by going out to things like that and buying slaves from those bastards, it's telling them that they can continue to earn money from slave-trade."

"But don't you pity the slaves? Don't you want to buy them so that they can be safe?"

"Why should I? They are the ones who landed themselves in the trade," Krad said. "Or better still, blame it on their parents. I bet half of the lot was sold into it because their parents were bankrupt."

"You're cruel, Krad."

"So what?" Krad said, not even batting an eyelid. "It's the truth. Blame it on their parents who abandoned them. And blame it on those low-class, greedy bastards who sell them like pieces of ornaments, or worse, trash."

"So you blame both sides?" Daisuke asked quietly. "The traders _and_ the slaves?"

"Yes."

Daisuke scowled. He changed the subject. "So you're not coming?"

"No," was Krad's unwavering reply.

Daisuke scowled and stalked out of the room, shouting, "Mom! Krad says he's not going!" Daisuke paused at the door. "Krad…?"

"What now?"

"You know, it's not the slaves' fault."

Krad sighed, shaking his head before looking down at the messy piles of papers on his table.

---

"Dai-chan, so Krad isn't coming?" Emiko asked.

"Nope," Daisuke said, falling onto the couch next to Satoshi. The blue-haired boy smirked.

"Still going on with his 'I do not care about slave-trade' attitude?" Satoshi guessed.

"Bingo," Daisuke said. He turned to his mother. "Mom, why does Krad keep saying that?"

"Well, Krad just doesn't really like the idea of slave-trade," Emiko said, checking the money in her purse. "That man just thinks differently from all of us. But no matter…he is a kind person at heart, and he feels that people should stand up more for themselves instead of expecting others to help them. That's why he feels spite for the slaves. And as for the traders…he just thinks they're disgusting."

"But he keeps saying it's the slaves' fault!" Daisuke protested. "And just now, he told me that the slaves should blame their parents because they were probably sold into slave trade because their parents were bankrupt!"

"That's a fact, Daisuke," Satoshi interrupted. "Krad's not lying. It's the truth. Even I know it."

"But…"

"Dai-chan, it doesn't matter what Krad thinks," Emiko smiled. "It's about what _you_ think. Like I said, Krad just thinks differently from all of us. You know what happened to him before, so he knows that people must stand up for themselves. The slaves won't…that's why he spites them, and doesn't feel sorry for them. But it doesn't matter, Dai-chan. As long as _somebody_ cares, it's good enough."

"Your mother is right, Daisuke," Satoshi smiled.

"Anyway…I was thinking of getting Krad a slave today…" Emiko trailed off.

This time, even Satoshi perked up.

"But, Mom – he'll completely _hate_ the idea!" Daisuke yelled in protest.

"Krad is such a busy man," Emiko said, unfaltering in her decision. "I was thinking it was better for him to have somebody to give him help in other things besides his work. Like cleaning his room, for instance…"

"Ugh, Krad will just throw the slave back to us! We _were_ just talking about how much he dislikes slaves!" Daisuke groaned.

"I agree with Daisuke, Emiko-san," Satoshi said, nodding. "Krad, like you said, thinks differently from all of us. He won't appreciate the idea of a slave."

"Well, we'll be killing two birds with one stone, then," Emiko said cheerfully. "He will have somebody to help him, and he'll not be so poisonous towards slaves."

"Whatever you say, Mom," Daisuke said, falling back on the couch.

---

The boy winced.

His wrists were tied painfully tight in front of him. A set of heavy chains was on his ankles, and they made movement so much more difficult and painful for him. The long, thick chain leash was attached to the hefty metal choker that was slung around his neck. There were big, angry, black bruises all over his body. Gashes and cuts marked his arms and legs, several old, several just fresh, others already beginning to get infected. Nobody ever treated his wounds properly.

His body hurt all over, and felt so heavy. His vision was a little cloudy, his head slightly airy. He hadn't eaten in two weeks, and his last, meager drink of water was a day ago. His stomach rumbled in protest, and his throat was terribly parched. He winced in pain as the heavy chain attached to his choker was yanked on roughly. He almost fell forward.

"Come on, boy," the man holding onto the chain-leash snapped.

The boy knew that the auction was starting soon. He would be sold again to another cruel master.

He kept his head low. His breathing was as shallow as always. It was barely as though he were breathing at all. His very first master had punished him for breathing, and the fear of that very first punishment had scarred him since then. He didn't want his masters to know he was breathing, so he always breathed as shallowly as he could. Hardly anybody noticed that he was breathing at all.

The man holding onto his leash led him out of the dimly lit room. The boy winced as light hit his sensitive eyes.

"C'mere, you," the man pulled him forward roughly. He was forced onto the auctioning stage. He could hear the delighted squeals from women, and the excited chatter of men. They were discussing him, the boy knew. They were wondering if he was strong enough to do heavy tasks, submissive enough to be a bed partner and so on. He kept his head low as usual and trembled with fear.

He saw Master stepping up onto the platform, too.

"We'll start from 65 000 yen!"

---

Daisuke, Satoshi and Towa followed Emiko down the bustling streets of town. Slaves were being auctioned everywhere. There were all kinds of slaves, from the simple ones who did normal chores, and to those who accompanied you to bed…

"So, Mom – are we getting two slaves?" Daisuke asked.

"Yes, Dai-chan," Emiko said. "One for ourselves – to help Towa-chan, of course – and another one to give to Krad."

"I can just imagine Krad's response to our thoughtfulness," Daisuke muttered. He pulled a face. "Like this," he imitated Krad's annoyed expression. "He'll say, "What! A slave! You know I don't support this stuff, so get him out of my sight!" Like that, Mom."

"No matter, no matter," Emiko went on cheerfully.

They came to a particularly large group of people, all crowding around a small auctioning platform.

"70 000 yen!"

"75 0000 yen!"

"Gosh, what high bids!" Daisuke commented.

"What kind of high-class slave would that be?" Satoshi wondered aloud.

"Let's see, Miss!" Towa-chan said excitedly to Emiko.

"Yes!" Emiko agreed.

They fought their way through the hordes of people, the bids raising higher every time.

"90 000 yen!"

"100 000 yen!"

"120 000 yen!"

"C'mon, ladies and gentleman!" a chubby man standing on the platform shouted. "He's a rare, exotic creature! Look at that body! Strong enough to do house chores, and lovely enough to sate your needs…"

"M-Mom!" Daisuke stuttered out, fighting the appalling noise.

"Yes, Dai-chan?"

"This…this slave is a…a…a…_that _kind of slave!"

"That?" Satoshi asked quizzically. Then, he seemed to get the message. "_T-that_? E-Emiko-san, let's not get this one…for Krad or for yourself! This kind of slave is not meant to be doing house chores…they…they…!"

"Now, that's not very nice to say, is it?" Emiko said in a contradicting tone.

"I agree with Miss!" Towa added.

"Oh, but, look!" Emiko squealed, pointing to the boy on the platform. "He's so cute! I'm sure Krad will love him."

Daisuke and Satoshi looked up. For a moment, their breaths hitched in their throats.

The boy was very small in size, though he couldn't be younger than 12. He had beautiful amethyst eyes, but they seemed to be so empty, so drowned in sorrow. His hair was a dark lilac color, so unnatural, so exotic. His pale skin seemed to give off a slight glow in the bright sunlight. But despite his ethereal features, his perfect skin was marred with gashes and blotched with angry bruises. Some of his wounds were even infected.

"Well…he _is_ good-looking…" Satoshi trailed off.

"Yeah…" Daisuke murmured.

"Good! Then let's join the bid!" Emiko said. And before either boys could protest, she yelled, "150 000 yen!"

Silence rang throughout the crowd. It seemed nobody wanted to pay more than that for such a skinny, unhealthy-looking slave.

But, then…

"170 000 yen!" a voice defied Emiko.

Everyone turned to look at the bidder. Daisuke recognized the man immediately.

"It's Harada-san's father!" Daisuke breathed. "Mom, he's got more money than us!"

"So _what_?" Emiko said. "200 000 yen!" she yelled.

This time, Harada-san didn't shout out.

"Going once," the man on the platform said. "Going twice…to the young lady there!"

Emiko laughed, clapping her hands together.

Satoshi and Daisuke gaped at her.

Towa just laughed.

"Let's go meet our gift to grumpy Krad, shall we?"

---

The boy was forced back into the dim, gloomy room again. The ropes and chains were taken off his wrists and ankles, and the man yanked him to meet his new master.

He kept his head downcast as they came to the bubbly brown-haired woman from the auction. The boy had raised his head only slightly before just to catch a glimpse of the person who so greedily wanted him.

The woman was accompanied by two boys, both bigger than him. One of them had fiery red hair, and the other, icy blue hair. They were stark contrasts to each other, but seemed to belong to each other, as if they were together by an invisible thread.

"He's all yours, lady," the boy heard Master's voice. So Master was here, too.

He didn't dare look up, and relied on his sense of hearing to tell what was going on. He heard several chinking noises, and presumed that the lady was taking out several coins. There was some rustling, so it had to be the yen notes. He heard them being passed to Master. Hurried rustling told the boy that Master was greedily counting the money, to make sure and to please himself, as usual. The boy knew that Master was a very money-hungry person, but he would never say that out loud.

When Master had finished counting the money, he grabbed onto the boy's chain-leash and dragged him forward. The boy let out a pained whine at the sudden force on his already bruised, cut and raw neck given by the heavy choker.

"Don't do that!" a voice – a little girly, but boyish cut through the cold air.

The boy lifted his head ever so slightly, and the vicious yank on his choker came again.

"Keep your head down, boy," Master growled. He turned to the boy, the red-haired one and smiled in a rather fake manner. "Young man, this slave is very disobedient at times, so I must punish him."

"That thing is hurting him!" the boy cried out.

"Dai-chan," the lady's voice interrupted. She took the leash out of Master's hand and with a very sheer contrast to the Master; she gave a gentle pull on the chain-leash, signaling for the boy to come towards her. "We'll be going now, mister. This boy is ours now."

"Sure thing, sure thing," Master said, not wanting to lose his customer. "Please, please – the exit is that way."

The lady gave a huff of triumph, before marching towards the exit, her two boys behind her. The boy pattered about three steps behind her, his head and eyes downcast again.

_Will…will she punish me, too?_

---

"That man was an ass!" Daisuke yelled immediately after they left the fair. They had decided against getting another slave, as neither of the slaves at the fair really fit their taste. Towa-chan refused to work with them, when they asked her opinion – either because they were male, or because they looked too snotty for a slave, and would 'disrespect Emiko-san', she said.

"Dai-chan, don't get so mad," Emiko said. She turned behind and saw that the slave-boy was trembling quite terribly, and he was looking at the ground as he walked. And on top of that, he was walking about three steps behind them. Emiko stopped walking and turned around completely.

The slave looked up in terror, backpedaling a little, whimpering softly – almost inaudibly. He never looked at Emiko in the eye. He returned his gaze to the ground again.

Emiko shook her head. "Sweetie, I'm not going to beat you," she said comfortingly. "Okay?"

The boy lifted his head slightly, but hardly enough to reach Emiko's shoulder. "Y-y-yes…M…M-M-Master…"

"My name is Emiko," Emiko said. "This is Daisuke, or Dai-chan. And this is Satoshi. Oh, and that's Towa-chan."

"Hey," Daisuke grinned.

"Hi," Satoshi said.

"Pleased to meet you!" Towa squealed.

The boy lifted his head slightly higher and shook more than ever. He was truly terrified of them.

"Well," Emiko said, shaking her head. "It's Krad he has to get used to…not us, anyway…"

Daisuke shrugged in agreement.

_Wonder what Krad's going to say…_

---

_They are nicer than Master…but…_ He shook his head violently. Though he knew it was impossible, there was foreboding feeling whenever he even _thought_ badly of Master.

He had met many masters before. Several of them pretended to be really sweet and kind at first, but turned out to be the worst and cruelest of the lot. _Maybe they are pretending, too…maybe they…they want to be nice to me…so that I'm not afraid of them…and then they'll…they'll…_

Years of suffering had thought the young boy not to be so gullible and trusting. Following his instincts, he told himself that these strangers weren't going to be nice to him. They could pretend all they liked, but he wasn't going to believe them. Because in the end, they would betray him, they would hurt him. He knew it. He knew that was for sure!

He knew. He knew as he walked three steps behind his new masters, wincing at the pain his body was giving him, he knew that the world – this harsh world of his – was full of strangers, full of people who would hurt him.

He couldn't trust a stranger.

_There's nobody who won't hurt me…there won't be anybody like that…ever…_ The small boy thought, as he walked to his masters' destination.

_Ever…_

---

"KRAD!!"

Krad let out a low growl of annoyance. _I _was _hoping they'd be out for dinner, too…_

Sighing, he got out of his seat and went downstairs. Two of the Niwa family plus one of the Hiwatari family was never a good mix. Add a hyperactive slave who was more like a maid plus a newly purchased slave didn't really make the situation better.

"Krad!" Emiko shouted. "Come and see a little surprise!"

_Surprise? _Krad thought, puzzled.

He went downstairs. He saw everyone beaming at him, except Satoshi, maybe. But curled into a small ball, sleeping on the armchair behind was one beautiful boy.

--

Does that count as a cliffy? O.o

Anyway, how was it? Tell me, tell me! I want to know all your comments!

Depending on my number of reviews is how fast you get the next update!

Hope to see you at the next chapter!

**_Don't_ **forget to R & R!


	2. Chapter 2: A Kitchen of Warmth

Alright, everybody – this is the latest update for _Lost Sanctuary_! I hope you like it. It took me a while to piece this together, and 1 hour to check through for mistakes, and adding a few things here and there. I hope you like it!

Let's have a recap, shall we?

Last Chapter: We practically meet the whole cast, except Kosuke and Daiki. Krad seems to be a bit of an ass, Daisuke is super cute as usual, Satoshi his cool self, and Emiko her hyperactive self and Towa-chan half-mad. Emiko buys a certain dark-haired boy we all know from a slave fair for Krad, who is in serious need of somebody to clean his house.

This Chapter: Krad's interaction with the new slave(who is at that moment, still unnamed. But don't worry, his name will come up in the next chapter!). Krad threatens to set the slave free, and Emiko just tells him to do as he wishes. 75 of this story's scene is in the kitchen, so you can guess where the title of this chapter came from. Anyway, Krad is rather cold to the slave in this chapter. Forgive me for this, but this is the storyline of the story, if you'd pressed the back button and check Chapter 1!

Please enjoy!

--

A Kitchen of Warmth

--

Krad stared at the boy – at his flowing, silky but a little dirty, violet hair, to his creamy, pale skin, his long eyelashes and, eventually, scanning over the many bruises and cuts that flawed the perfection of his porcelain skin.

By the time he'd finished gazing at the boy, an uncomfortable silence had settled upon the room.

The first one to break it was Emiko.

"Well, Krad – he's yours now," Emiko smiled cheerfully. "You don't have to pay me back for it. All you have to do is take care of him."

Krad was speechless for several moments, before he managed to splutter out his first words. "…w…why on _earth_ did you buy him for _me_?" he exclaimed. "I thought you were going to get _yourselves_ a slave!"

"Oh, we had already planned before going out that we were going to get you a slave," Emiko said readily. "Just that we couldn't find ourselves a suitable slave."

"T…t-that doesn't mean you have to get _me_ one!" Krad yelled.

Suddenly, the ball on the armchair began to move. Everyone froze as the small boy opened slowly fluttered his eyes open, revealing a pair of beautiful, deep amethyst eyes. The boy suddenly sat up in a hurry, looking around before realizing he was completely surrounded by people. He scrambled off the armchair and went to his knees at once, trembling violently.

"…s-s-s-sorry, M-M-Mas-Mas-ter…d-didn't m-m-mean t-to…t-t-to f-fall a-a-asleep…"

Krad couldn't find his voice.

He just stared.

--

When the boy opened his eyes slowly, he found himself lying on something unbelievably soft. His first reaction was fear.

_W…what am I doing on something so nice and comfortable? Where's Master? Am I…am I going to have to do…do _that_ again?_

He didn't want to do _that_ again! It hurt so much each time. He let a small sound escape his lips as he scanned his surroundings. He gazed in horror at the many people in the room. He scrambled off the armchair immediately, despite the small longing to lie on it much longer.

_Oh…oh, no! Who…who put me here? What if…w-what if Master punishes me…? Why…why are there so many people?_

He quickly scrambled to the ground and stuttered a quick apology.

"Shh, it's okay," the red-haired boy comforted. "You fell asleep while we were coming here."

He couldn't hear the kindness in the boy's voice. He could only hear the words.

_I…I really f-fell asleep? Oh, no…Master is going to punish me…_

"You don't have to apologize for falling asleep," the blue-haired boy's stoic and firm voice pierced through the air. "It's not a crime to fall asleep if you are tired."

"…s-s-sorry…M-M-Master…" the poor boy choked out. He was terrified. _Is he going to beat me? Or worse…do that? No…I don't want to…it…it's too soon…please…no…_

"I am not your master," the blue-haired boy said indifferently.

"Your master is going to be Krad here," the lady said. "Oh, poor boy. There, there. Nothing to be afraid of. Raise your head, please."

The small boy whimpered softly to himself and forced his eyes to scan the many people. He saw the cheerful red-haired boy from before, but this time he was looking more sullen. The blue-haired boy stood next to him, the usual stoic expression on his face. The brown-haired, kind lady smiled at him from beside a very tall young man.

The boy's eyes widened. The man had a rather distasteful expression on his face, though he stood in a superior fashion, one hand on the arm of the couch, the other on his hip. His eyes were a sharp, piercing molten gold, and long blond hair was tied into a loose ponytail behind, leaving a sharp, spiky fringe with a stray lock of hair in front of his face. His skin was ever so pale, ever so like porcelain. The boy whimpered. Though the man's features were indeed stunning, but his expression was one the boy had seen so many times before, and was so afraid of – displeasure.

_Master…Master is not happy with me…I am…I am going to get…beaten…_

"My name is Emiko," the lady smiled. "Remember? Niwa Emiko. This here is my son, Niwa Daisuke," she pulled the red-haired boy to her. "And this is his friend, Hiwatari Satoshi. Do you remember? And this man here is Hikari Krad. He will be your new master. So you must obey him, okay? But don't worry – he is a nice man and he will look after you just fine, I expect."

"Emiko!" Krad yelled. "I am _not_ taking care of this…this…this _thing_!"

The boy immediately lowered his head. _He…he's going to be no…no different from Master before…he will punish me…he will do _that_ to me…he will…he will sell me after that…I should've known…Master's friends look nice…but Master isn't…_ The child looked at the ground in front of him. _Why must this always happen to me? What did I…do wrong?_

"Krad!" Emiko said, in a rather fierce voice. "How can you call him a _thing_? He's only a boy! He may be a slave, but he's human like us! Don't you believe in that, Krad?"

"I believe in that, but," Krad seemed to be contemplating. "I really don't want a slave! Just…just set him free!"

"He will starve on the streets!" Emiko shot back.

_Set…set me free…? _The boy wasn't too enthusiastic about that. He'd been outside a couple of times before, and as far as he was concerned, the world outside all his masters' home had never been one he was particularly attracted to. Moreover, most of them scared him. The outside, bustling, busy world frightened and bewildered him.

"He can take care of himself!" Krad objected. "He may be a boy, but he can take of himself. Just like I did _that_ time!"

A silence rushed over the room.

"Krad, you can't expect everybody to be like you," Emiko sighed. "But you are right. He can take care of himself…maybe. But he's yours now. And that's your decision to make. Now, if you'll excuse us, we must going now. I must make dinner for Kosuke-san. He'll come back soon. Come on, Dai-chan, Satoshi, Towa-chan."

The foursome went out. The boy looked up in alarm. _They…they are leaving me here with this…this fierce man?_

But the red-haired boy stopped at the door. The boy felt a wisp of hope.

"You…you aren't really going to set him free, are you?" Daisuke asked.

"Hn," was all Krad said. "If you still see him tomorrow, it means I have revised my opinion."

Daisuke nodded and went out.

The boy felt a chill of fear as the door closed, and his new master turned down to look at him.

"Next…what am I going to do with you?"

--

Krad raised an eyebrow. _Jeez…he's pretty skinny…even for a slave…he looks like skin and bones…_

"Can you stop kneeling?" Krad asked. "Stand up."

The boy obediently stood up. But he still kept his head downcast. Krad stared at the thick metal choker slung around his neck. It was half an inch away from the skin only, and a long heavy chain hung from it. The boy was dressed in what seemed like poor excuses for clothes – they looked more like tattered, falling gray pieces of rags. The boy's wrists and ankles, Krad could see, were red-raw. Bite marks from ropes could be seen on his wrists, and it looked like something heavy had bruised his ankles.

_Probably more chains,_ Krad thought. On the skin not covered by his poorly clothes, Krad could see the many gashes and cuts on the boy's body. Some of them were even infected!

_Man…I have to hand it to the kid…_ Krad thought for a moment. _Ugh…why does he keep his head down like that? Must be painful for his neck… _"Lift your head, kid."

The child trembled and lifted his head up slowly. Krad stared down into the depths of amethyst. His eyes were sparkling with unshed tears, but they looked so empty. They contained no other emotion except fear.

_He's scared of me…way to go, Krad. _"Come on," Krad said, turning to walk into the kitchen. "I'll get you something to eat."

_Why am I even bothering! I'm supposed to just set him free and leave it as that…_

The boy followed several steps behind him. _Do I stink or something? Is that why he's so far away from me? I do remember taking a bath just one hour ago…_Krad thought sarcastically.

"I hope you're fine with anything," Krad said stonily.

"Y…y-y-yes…M-M-Master…"

"Call me 'Krad'. It'll be making a scene if I go out with someone who waits on my hand and foot and calls me, 'Master' all the time."

"S-s-s-sorry i…if…M-M-Master…is u-u-upset…"

"Don't call me 'Master'," Krad snapped, a little fiercer than he had intended.

The boy flinched and cringed away from the kitchen. Krad sighed and shook his head. _Pathetic thing…not that I pity him or anything…I already made it clear I can't be bothered enough to punish him…_Krad went to the counter and began to prepare sandwiches. "If you are hungry, stay. If not, then get out of the kitchen."

The boy bowed his head. "P-p-please f-f-forgive, M-M-Master…" and he slipped quietly away from the kitchen.

_Hn…guess he's not hungry then. Whatever._

--

The child flinched and walked to the front door of the house, freezing every few moments. He trembled with fear as he walked, wondering what his Master wanted for him to do.

In truth, the boy was so famished he had watered at the mouth with the very sound of food. But he had bad memories from his other masters. They had never allowed him to say he was hungry, until the very last moment he couldn't take it anymore, and then they would punish him, saying that slaves were not to blare their needs outright.

They had taunted and tempted him with food so much it hurt. The boy shook the painful memories out of his mind, and walked to the door. He tried to go out, but it wouldn't open.

_I must find out from Master…where the key is kept._

He just walked about the house, sure that Master was still in the kitchen eating. He finally returned to the door of the kitchen after a few minutes. He knelt down before the door and waited patiently, shivering.

_It's…it's cold…_

He hugged himself, wishing he had thicker and warmer clothes. All he was wearing was a thin white shirt that was more like gray, after being soaked in the grit of time. He also had on black Capri trousers. He was barefooted. His shoes were still outside. He was so cold that he felt quite numb. He could smell delicious hot food from the other side of the door. He felt like crying.

_Why…why me…?_

--

Krad ate his slice of pie without batting an eyelid. He couldn't really care less what that slave was doing.

The phone rang and Krad stood up, going to answer it.

"_HELLO, KRAD!!"_

Krad winced, pushing the phone away from his ear.

"E…Emiko! What the hell!" Krad screamed into the phone. "Emiko! What is the meaning of this?!" It seemed the hyperactive woman had returned to her former nature. _Serious mood swings…_

"_My, Krad! You are back to your lively nature, I see!" That should be you, Emiko…_Krad thought darkly.

Krad glared into the nothingness of the wall in front of him. "Whatever…what do you want?"

"_Nothing! I just wanted to know how you and your new slave are doing!"_

"We'll just fine, thanks."

"_How nice to hear! Have you give him dinner yet?"_

"He said he was not hungry."

"_Oh, is that so? Judging from your brains, Krad – you must've figured he was lying! All slaves are like that, you know…and since you never kept a slave before, I called up because I thought you didn't feed him because of what he said! But you are a sweet, smart boy! So I was saying…is he good? Is he a good boy? Does he…"_

Krad had choked on the food in his mouth the moment he heard that the boy somewhere in his house had been lying about his hunger.

"W…wait a minute, Emiko! Are you saying that…that he was lying when he said he was not hungry?"

"_Oh? You didn't see through that? Sigh…so you aren't as bright as I thought you were, Krad…"_

_Will she stop hitting on that! _"So he needs to eat?"

"_Obviously! The slave fair started about four days ago, so even if he has eaten before that, he wouldn't have eaten in four days! They don't feed the slaves during the fair, you know. Moreover, he's a _that_ kind of slave, you know, so they would feed him even less frequently. He needs to eat, Krad! Get him something right now! Or would you rather I came over with Towa-chan to make something for the both of you? I don't mind…"_

"No thanks!" Krad said hurriedly. "I still have more frozen pie in the fridge." _If she comes, she'll bring Towa-chan and Daisuke along, and Satoshi will come with them, and Kosuke would have returned by now, so he would join them, too…I'm not sure I can handle any more noise for today…_

Krad quickly hung up. He slipped out of his seat and went to the kitchen door, opening.

He was about to step forward, before he stopped suddenly. He looked down, an eyebrow raised.

Curled up on his side on the ground was the slave boy. He was shivering violently, making small whimpering sounds.

Krad looked at him. The boy's eyes were tightly shut in pain and fear. Krad frowned. _Is he…having a nightmare? _The boy was also whispering inaudible things. He tossed and turned a lot. Krad had half a mind to just leave him there for the moment, but when he heard a terrible sound coming from the boy.

It sounded like a whine. It was full of pain and terror. Krad couldn't bring himself to move away. He knelt down next to the boy and shook him gently.

"Hey, hey – wake up," Krad shook him a little more roughly. "Hey, kid."

The child slowly opened his eyes and flinched when he felt Krad's hand on his shoulder. He cringed away and got up abruptly, kneeling before Krad and bowing his head and keeping his eyes downcast.

"M-Master… s-so s-s-sorry…"

Krad put a slender hand over his mouth, shutting him up promptly. "You don't have to apologize for anything," Krad said. He wasn't exactly sounding kind, he knew but he really couldn't care. "Emiko tells me that you were lying when you said you weren't hungry. That's true, isn't it?"

The slave nodded slowly, flinching and making little whimpering noises. "…s-s-sorry, M-Master…"

Krad looked at the boy, one elegant eyebrow raised. "Why did you lie?"

"…o-other m-m-masters s-said…t-t-that a s-s-slave d-doesn't d-d-deserve…t-to…h-have h-his n-n-needs…h-h-heard…s-s-so-sorry, M-Master…"

Krad closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Look…do you have to ask me if you can walk?"

The slave looked at him, a little curious, but still frightened.

Krad answered for him briskly. "No. You don't ask me if you can raise your arm either. You don't ask me if you can breathe either. You do all those things without asking my permission. Same, you don't you ask me if you can eat." He realized the boy kept looking at the ground. A little annoyed, Krad put a hand under his chin and lifted his face. The boy averted his eyes wildly. "Look at me."

The slave fidgeted a little.

"Look at me, kid."

The slave finally locked his amethyst eyes with Krad's golden ones.

"If you are hungry, say it," Krad said calmly. "And under this roof, you do not follow your other masters' rules. I will be offended that you live by those scumbags' rules. You listen to what I want, not them. And don't ever compare me to those fags again."

"Y…y-yes, M-Master…s-sorry."

"And you can start by not calling me 'Master'. My name is Krad. Hikari Krad. I don't care if you call me 'Hikari' or whatever, I just don't want to hear 'Master'."

"M-M-Master…"

"I said," Krad glared at the boy, causing him to flinch. "That my name is Krad."

The boy's eyes were full of tears now. "M-Master…c-c-can't…p-please…M-M-Master…"

Krad's eyes widened a bit. The slave looked quite ready to cry. _Maybe I went too far…asking him to call me by name might take a while…_

"Whatever," Krad unconsciously put his hand on the slave's head, ruffling his hair a bit, trying to knock some fear out of the boy. "Come in. I'll reheat some of the pie left in the fridge."

As the small boy finally scrambled to his feet, Krad looked at his hand as he walked to the fridge.

_Why…did I do…that?_

--

The small boy took comfort in the homely warmth of the kitchen. Master had gone to reheat the food using the microwave. He looked at his master and shivered a little. Though the kitchen was warm, he was still feeling a little too cold.

"Do you want a blanket?" Master asked in his usual voice. It wasn't kind, but it wasn't fierce either. Master was different from others masters. He seemed to have a superior air about when he walked, and he seemed to be very confident and composed. For one reason or another, the boy didn't feel as threatened as he felt when he was with his other masters, though Krad seemed almost as stern as them.

The boy looked down at his shaking hands and quickly replied, "N-no…it's…f-fine…M-M-Master…"

"You don't have to lie," Master said coolly. "You've been shivering since just now. But I'm not going to get anything for you. Go to the living room and get the couch blanket."

"Y-y-yes, M-M-Master…"

The boy slipped out of his chair and obediently went to the living room. He saw a thick, comfortable blanket on the couch and he folded it into a size more easily carried by his small frame. Then, he pulled the thick thing back to the kitchen. Master had finished reheating the food, and was putting the remaining three-quarters of the pie on a plate, cutting slices and placing one in each of the other two plates on the table.

"Wrap that around yourself, and come sit," Krad instructed.

The small boy tried, but his body was too weak to climb onto the chair and carry the heavy blanket up at the same time. Master sighed and got out of his chair. To the boy's fright and shock, Master lifted him on the chair and picked up the blanket, draping it around his skinny frame. Master poked his shoulder in distaste.

"You should eat more," Master said. He pushed a plate of pie towards him. "Eat." He stood back and returned to his seat.

The boy looked at the food uncertainly. _Is…is Master testing me? But…but he said not to follow…other masters'…rules…only his…Master says…I can eat…but can I eat?_

Master must've realized he'd not taken a bite, because he looked up again and gave the boy a rather chilly look. "What? The food not hot enough?"

"N…n-no, Master…n-n-not t-t-that…j-just…"

Master gave him a look. "Excuse me. What did I say earlier about your other masters?"

"M-M-Master s-said…n-not…n-not to…live by…other masters'…rules…"

"Too right," Master said, sounding rather sarcastic. "Which is why you'd do well to listen to me."

"Y-y-yes…M-Master…"

"Eat," Master said.

--

Krad sighed.

_This is too tiring for my own good…_

The bag of skin and bones in the form of a skinny little kid could not even get up on the chair with the couch blanket at the same time. Krad had decided to lift him up _only_ because he looked so pathetic. The boy weighed practically nothing, and he was so small.

_The boy…the boy…jeez…doesn't he have a name?_

"Hey, kid," Krad said, looking away from the piece of pie on his spoon. "Don't you have a name?"

"N-n-no, M-Master…" the boy said quietly.

"What did your former masters call you?" Krad asked.

"E-each o-of t-t-them h-had…a d-d-different n-n-name, M-Master…"

"What about your master before me?"

"H-h-he…c-called…" his words were lost along the way. "…M…Midnight…"

_Midnight? I guess it suits him…but there's no way I'm going around calling, 'Midnight, Midnight'. It's too girlish. _Krad frowned. "Well, forget that name. What's your _real_ name?"

"…don't…r-r-remember, M-Master…" the boy said, his voice frightful.

"How can you forget your own name?"

"…d-d-don't k-know…M-M-Master…"

"Well, I can't think of anything right now," Krad said simply, leaning back on his chair. "Maybe some other time. But forget everything your other masters told you – the names, the rules. I'll think of a name for you…don't worry." The boy looked up at him.

"M-M-Master?"

"What," Krad reached out a finger to poke the boy's forehead. "You don't want me to call you, 'kid' all the time, do you?"

The slave shook his head hurriedly.

"I thought so," Krad said. "Anyway…just eat for now."

The boy looked up at Krad, and Krad turned slightly just enough to see something spark across his eyes. It was faint, it was barely there, but yet it was. Krad just barely missed it. Maybe it was caused by the warmth of the kitchen, maybe it was because of Krad's words, maybe it was because of the lack of punishment – but whatever it was, it caused that _something_ to flash across the slave-boy's beautiful amethyst eyes.

Hope.

--

Was that cheesy? I hope not! Is the story progressing too fast? Is there a little bit too much fluff between Krad and the slave whom we all know too well? Please give your comments!

I promise the next chapter will be up soon. I'm already working on it!

Don't forget to review! I appreciate all your reviews, they make me smile so much! And please – don't give me reviews that just say, 'Great story' and all that blah! They are nice to hear, pleasing to look at, but it gets kind of old after a while. So, please, everyone! Give some advice on how I can improve on this story!

Ja!


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